1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an automobile finish coating and more specifically to a acrylic automobile finish protectant which provides a high-gloss, substantive, protective layer on exterior painted metal surfaces.
2. Related Art
High-gloss, protective coatings for automobile finishes have traditionally involved the application of a wax to the exterior surface followed by buffing the applied wax. A wide variety of suitable hydrocarbon or vegetable-based waxes formulated with various additives are commercially available.
Nearly all waxes, however, are difficult to apply uniformly and require extensive buffing to provide a high gloss or shine.
Other available automobile finish products restore or improve automobile finishes which have experienced some deterioration due to wear and oxidative breakdown. Conventional products used for this purpose typically incorporate abrasive materials or tracers in the finish formulation. These materials typically remove or abrade some of the worn or oxidized finish to regenerate the shiny appearance of a newly painted surface.
Modern automotive painting techniques, however, are not compatible with abrasive products. In modern finishes, a relatively thin pigmented or color layer is applied underneath a relatively thick clear layer. This clear coating process is particularly vulnerable to abrasive formulations because once the coating layer is damaged or worn away, there is only a very thin layer of pigmented finish remaining on the surface. Further, should the clear coating wear away unevenly, entire sections of the automobile must be completely refinished to provide a uniform finish.
There exists a need for a nonabrasive, readily applicable automobile finish product which provides a high-gloss, protective coating without the need for extensive buffing and polishing. In addition, the protective coating should be nontoxic and environmentally inert. Further, the protective coating should be easy to apply, should be uniformly distributed or self-leveling over the finished surface, and should be relatively long lasting.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,745 a silicone-based automobile finish is disclosed. This finish is applied by spraying an emulsion onto the surface of an automobile, wiping such sprayed surface to distribute the emulsion thereon and depositing the silicone by absorbing and removing the water from the emulsion with an absorbent cloth.
Obviously, it would be desirable to provide a protective finish to an automobile by merely spraying the automobile surface and allowing the surface to dry rather than distributing the protectant by wiping and removing excess water with an absorbent cloth.